Skip to main content

The Bitter Housewife: Small Batch Cocktail Bitters

When Genevieve Brazelton started dabbling in craft bitters, her goal was simply to complement her home bar and enjoy cocktails with her husband, Dan. But like other small start-ups, as she began putting her heart into her bitters, the idea of a company emerged.

“My husband and I were surprised by my first batch,” said Genevieve. “It was so much better than expected.” As she kept experimenting using real, natural ingredients without the use of extracts, the efforts continued to delight them. Dan said, “I think you have something here—what if we try to sell this?”

Recommended Videos

Genevieve spun in her tracks and spontaneously blurted out, “Oh yeah, and I’ll call it The Bitter Housewife.”

Dan replied with, “Oh YES you will!”

They researched how to put it all together and then moved from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, a town she says is great for small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit. They officially launched the company in October 2014 with sales of the aromatic bitters, and then added the grapefruit and cardamom varieties by the holidays.

Today, Genevieve focuses on the business when she’s not caring for their 10-month-old child, and Dan helps out at night and on weekends. “We’ve pushed the product more to the home bartender or even the curious home bartender who is interested in bitters, but has no idea how to use them,” said Genevieve. “We also package everything with a hang tag around the neck with a recipe to get started.

The Bitter Housewife serves up this recipe for a great summertime drink:

Backyard Collins

1.5 oz gin (Genever style preferred)
1 oz citrus-rosemary syrup*
1 tsp The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters
4 oz soda water

Pour gin, syrup, and bitters into a collins glass. Add ice, top with soda and stir.

*Bring 3/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 lemon juice, a generous handful of rosemary sprigs (4-6), and 2 cups of sugar to a simmer. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then cool.

Marla Milling
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Marla Hardee Milling is a full-time freelance writer living in a place often called the Paris of the South, Sante Fe of the…
The secret to perfect summer salads? The right wine pairing
Pairing wine and salad
Barolo Grill salad.

As we substitute pants for swim trunks and IPAs for crisp refreshing lagers, it can only mean one thing: Summer is here. That transition extends to the table as well, where we opt for lighter foods like salads to greet the mild weather and take advantage of all the fresh produce available. But how do we make the very best of this kind of cuisine?

The right wine pairing, naturally. You might think any old pink or white wine will do but there's an art to the best couplings. Certain salad styles demand certain wine styles, and vice versa.

Read more
Do coffee pods expire? Here’s what the pros say
When to toss coffee pods from your pantry
coffee pods

The convenience of coffee pods is undeniable — with no dosing, scooping, or mess, coffee pods deliver a fast and easy way to get your caffeine fix without the hassle. Yet all coffee pods, from the Nespresso Vertuo pods to the standard K-Cups, contain regular ground coffee inside the casing (even though you can't see it). With that in mind, do coffee pods have an expiration date? I know I've wondered this question before, especially after pulling out bags of K-Cups from my pantry that've seemingly been there for ages. Let's break down the answers to everything you've wondered about "Do coffee pods expire?"
Do coffee pods expire?

Drew Pond, Co-Owner of Stone Creek Coffee, gives us the short answer we probably already knew: yes, coffee pods expire. "They're not Twinkies. Most are stamped with a “best by” date about 8 to 12 months out, but let’s be clear: that’s not a magic number. The flavor starts to fade way before that if you're not using the right pods or storing them correctly. Coffee is full of delicate oils, compounds, and aromatics that fade over time, especially in single-serve formats," he says.

Read more
No greenwashing here: Sierra Nevada puts real sustainability on tap
The California craft leaders on sustainability
Sierra Nevada Hop Forward Ale.

Sustainability can mean a lot of things, as the term is thrown around pretty liberally at the moment. From the craft beer sector to fashion, businesses are getting in on the practice. But in a world where greenwashing is now prevalent, it's important to separate the pretenders from those really doing the work.

Sierra Nevada is a leading force in this regard. The West Coast brewery just released a report outlining its ongoing sustainability initiatives. It includes some impressive objectives that the brand hopes to lock down by 2030.

Read more